This page provides information about scholarships and financial aid
for volunteering and community service. These scholarships reward you
for helping others. It's a nice way of doing well by doing good.

In addition to the resources listed below, students who are involved
in volunteering and community service should ask whether there are any
awards available at the location where they perform their community
service. It is quite common for hospitals and nursing homes, veterans
groups, churches, mosques and synagogues, historical societies,
fraternal organizations and other community service organizations to
provide scholarships to recognize outstanding community service by
young volunteers.

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The Federal Work Study program includes a community service
component. Schools are required to use 7% of their Federal Work Study
program funds to pay for students employed in community service
jobs. In addition, schools can request supplemental funding for
community service jobs. If you are eligible for a Federal Work Study
job, the school will be delighted if you are
interested in a community service job, especially if
it involves working as a reading tutor for children or
performing family literacy activities.

See also the list of prestigious scholarships,
several of which select winners in part on the basis of community service.

Senator Chris Dodd has introduced legislation, the
Youth Service
Scholarship Act of 2005 (S1247), which would create a new
scholarship program to encourage and reward low-income students who
make significant public service contributions to their
communities. The program would award 1,000 scholarships worth $5,000
each. To be eligible, candidates would have to perform 300
hours of community service per year for at least two years in high
school and during the previous year. The legislation has not yet been
passed.

The
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
program provides for forgiveness of federal education loans after ten years of
full-time employment in public service. The borrower must make 120
payments while the loans are in the direct loan program and while
employed in public service. At the end of the ten-year period, any
remaining outstanding principal and interest is forgiven. The benefit
is maximized when the borrower repays the loans under the
income-contingent or income-based repayment plans. This forgiveness
program is best for borrowers with high debt and low income.

FastWeb and VolunteerMatch are providing a
volunteer matching service
that matches prospective volunteers with more than 50,000
active volunteer openings in 28 different interest areas, including
children and youth, disaster relief and crisis support. There is also a
special subsection called "Green Volunteers" for 3,000 volunteering
opportunities with a positive impact on the environment.
The service is available to students, parents and educators (including
financial aid administrators and guidance counselors).

The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
provides several thousand dollars for each year of full-time service
(prorated for part-time). Through 2009 the maximum education award was
$4,725. Starting in 2010 the maximum education award is pegged to the
maximum Pell Grant.
The money can be used to pay for college costs or to repay
student loans. The award may be claimed up to seven years after the
service is completed.

National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC)
This AmeriCorps program is an 11-month residential national service
program intended for 18-24 year-olds. Participants receive
education awards to pay for college tuition
or to help repay education loan debt. The funds can be
used up to seven years after the completion of the term of
service. For more information, contact:
National Civilian Community Corps
1100 Vermont Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20525
Phone: 1-800-94-ACORPS (1-800-942-2677)

National Awards

Bonner Scholars Program
The Bonner Foundation provides four-year community service
scholarships of up to $4,000 a year to 1,500 students each year at
25 colleges and universities.
The Bonner Scholars, in turn, commit 10 hours per week to volunteer
service and participate in a summer community service internship.

The Do Something Awards
The BRICK Awards by Do Something provide community grants and
scholarships to "change-makers" age 25 and under who work with Do
Something to improve their communities. The competition is open to
US and Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Five Do Something Award nominees will receive at least $10,000 in
community grants and scholarships. Of the five winners, one grand
prize winner will receive a total of $100,000 in community grants. The
nominees also participate in a live VH1 TV show and will receive
continued support from DoSomething.org.
(The community grants are paid to the nominee's organization or a
not-for-profit organization of the nominee's choice. All winners have
the option of receiving $5,000 of the total award in the form of a
college scholarship.)
The deadline is March 1.
For more information, send email to
dsawards@dosomething.org.

Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program
The Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program, formerly the
Comcast Foundation Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship Program, awards
more than one thousand $1,000 scholarships
for community service and leadership to high school seniors in
communities served by Comcast.
Candidates must be nominated by their high school principals by mid-March.
Each principal may nominate only one student.

Disabled American Veterans Youth Volunteer Scholarship Awards
Disabled American Veterans offers several scholarships for volunteers
age 21 and under who volunteer at VA Medical Centers. The scholarships
include awards of up to $15,000. For more information, write to
Disabled American Veterans, National Service and Legislative
Headquarters, Voluntary Services Department, 807 Maine Avenue, SW,
Washington, DC 20024.

Discover Card Tribute Award
The Discover Card Tribute Award awards up to $1 million in
scholarships annually to high school juniors nationwide. Discover
awards up to 300 state scholarships of $2,500 and up to ten national
$25,000 scholarships. The scholarships may be used for postsecondary
education at two and four-year colleges and trade/technical schools.
Winners are selected on the basis of community service,
special talents, leadership, and overcoming an obstacle. Candidates
must have a GPA of 2.75 or better in the 9th and 10th grades.
The deadline
is January 31. For more information, call 1-866-756-7932.

Echoing Green Public Service Fellowship
The Echoing Green Public Service Fellowship provides a one-year
$15,000 stipend to graduating college seniors from 27 participating
institutions to develop and implement a community service project. The
deadline is in early March. For more information, call 1-212-689-1165,
fax 1-212-689-9010, or write to Echoing Green, 198 Madison Avenue, 8th
Floor, New York, NY 10022.

Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes is awarded annually to ten US
and Canadian students, aged 8-18, who have developed an extraordinary
service project that helped people and the planet. Half of the winners
are focused on helping their communities and people, and half are
focused on protecting the environment. Winners receive a $2,000
scholarship.
For more information,
write to
The Barron Prize, PO Box 17, Boulder, CO 80306-0017.

The Heart of America Christopher Reeve Award
The Heart of America Christopher Reeve Award is awarded annually to a
student for extraordinary community service. The award includes a
$1,000 scholarship. Candidates must be a senior in high school or
younger when awarded. The deadline is October 31.

Kohl's Kids Who Care Program
The Kohl's Kids Who Care Program
(www.kohlskids.com)
honors students age 6-18 who are involved in community
service. Candidates enter by being nominated by
an adult age 21 years or older. Nominees are considered in two age
groups, 6-12 and 13-18, with three prize levels within each group.
More than 2,000 children will receive a total of more than $350,000 in
scholarships and prizes.
More than 2,000 store winners each receive a $50 Kohl's gift card,
194 regional winners each receive a $1,000
scholarship, and 10 national winners each receive a $5,000 scholarship.
The deadline is March 15.

Ladies Auxiliary VFW Outstanding Young Volunteer of the Year
This award provides a $5,000 US Savings Bond to a US citizen aged 12
to 15 who has demonstrated a commitment to volunteer
service. Candidates must be sponsored by an Auxiliary. The deadline is
early February. For more information, write to
Auxiliary Youth Activities Chairman, National Headquarters, Ladies
Auxiliary VFW, 406 W. 34th Street, Kansas City, MO 64111, call
1-816-561-8655, fax 1-816-931-4753, or send email to info@ladiesauxvfw.com.

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards recognize children in grades
5-12 who have engaged in volunteer activities and have demonstrated
exceptional community service. The program is sponsored by Prudential
in conjunction with the National Association of Secondary School
Principals (NASSP). State winners receive a $1,000 award. National
winners receive a $5,000 award. The student application deadline is in
late October.

Samuel Huntington Public Service Award
The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides a $10,000 stipend
to a graduating college senior to pursue a year of public service
anywhere in the world. The money may be used for any project that
helps others. Candidates submit a proposal as part of their
application. US citizenship is not required. The deadline is in early
February. For more information, write to Amy F. Stacy, The Samuel
Huntington Fund, 25 Research Drive, Westborough, MA 01582, call
1-508-389-3390, or send email to amy.stacy@us.ngrid.com.

William R. Simms Award for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy
The William R. Simms Award for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy
is awarded by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)
to individuals and groups of people aged 5-17 and 18-23 who have
"demonstrated outstanding commitment to
the community through direct financial support, development of
charitable programs, volunteering and leadership in philanthropy".
The submission deadline is September 15.

VISTA Volunteers in Service to America
VISTA is part of ACTION, the federal domestic volunteer agency. This program offers numerous benefits to college graduates with outstanding student loans. For more information contact:
VISTA
Washington, DC 20525
Phone: 1-800-424-8867

Youth Action Net
YouthActionNet awards twenty $500 grants to youth leaders aged 18-29 for projects that
promote social change in their communities. The deadline is October
1.

Youth Service America
Youth Service America administers several awards for community service
by students, including the Harris Wofford Awards ($1,000), the State
Farm Companies Foundation
"Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant" (one
hundred $1,000 grants), and
the Clay Aiken "Able to Service Awards" (twenty-five $1,000 grants),
among others.

The Congressional Award
The Congressional Award honors young Americans aged 14 to 23 for
excellence in volunteer public service. It is sponsored by the United
States Congress.

Daily Points of Light Award
The Daily Points of Light Award recognizes significant contributions
to volunteer service by individuals and organizations. A particular
emphasis is placed on efforts that identify a community need, take
an innovative approach to addressing that need, and make a significant
impact on the problem.
The Points of Light Foundation also provides several other
awards for community service.

International Youth Hall of Fame
The International Youth Hall of Fame recognizes children in grades
K-12 who have made a difference at home, in school and in the community.

Jefferson Award
The Jefferson Award is sponsored by the American Institute for Public
Service in conjunction with more than 100 media partners.

Nestle & Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) Very Best in Youth
The Very Best in Youth program is co-sponsored by Nestle and Reading
Is Fundamental. It honors 30 youth each year who have made significant
contributions to their communities. $1,000 is donated by Nestle to a
charity selected by each winner.
The deadline is November 1.

PBS Zoom into Action
The PBS Zoom television show features children who volunteer in their
communities.

Green Mountain College's Make A Difference Scholarships
The Make A Difference Scholarships are awarded by
Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont
to up to 10 students each year. The full four-year scholarships
cover tuition, room and board for students who have made a
"significant positive difference in their communities and/or in the
lives of others". For more information, contact
Sandy Bartholomew, Dean of Enrollment Management, Green Mountain College,
One College Circle, Poultney, VT 05764, call 1-800-776-6675, or send
email to
bartholomews@greenmtn.edu.

Local Awards

Mary A. Mades Volunteer Scholarship Award
The Mary A. Mades Volunteer Scholarship is awarded by the Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center in Boston to a Beth Israel Deaconess volunter
who is pursuing a degree or certification in health care. The deadline
is April 1.

Project V-FIRE
Project V-FIRE is sponsored by the Erie County and the Erie Community
College (ECC). ECC students who are accepted into membership of one of
Erie County's volunteer fire companies or emergency services agencies
are eligible for a tuition scholarship at ECC. V-FIRE recruits must
commit to a service obligation of five years.

Washington Hospital Service League Volunteer Scholarships
The Washington Hospital Service League awards two renewable
$1,000/year scholarships for high school seniors and college students
from the Washington Hospital District (Fremont, Newark, Union City,
Hayward, Sunol) who are pursuing a degree in a health-related field.
Candidates must have contributed at least 100 hours of volunteer
service in a health-related field. The deadline is April 1. For more
information, write to Washington Hospital, Lobby desk, 2000 Mowry
Avenue, Fremont, CA 94538.